Research: audience feedback on final product

Audience Feedback

From audience feed back I have learnt that most people like my product but few said that I needed to add a byline on my double page spread to make the article as realistic as possible.

Production: front cover

To try and rectify the problem of not being able to see the coverlidne over the bright image, I have returned to editing my front cover and placed darker coloured paint swipes behind the text. Think this has help a lot and the text is now more visible. It also helps keep to more minimal look of the magazine by not using large coloured boxes as some magazines such as Kerrang do.

Production: contents page in indesign

I think that I have finished my contents page and added the fishing touches. In a copy of NME I saw that the page numbers on the images where much larger and bolder the mine where so I have rectified this on my copy. I have also adde some more featured articles as well as some more regular articles to make the page look fuller. I am pleased with the final outcome of this page and I think that it combined the codes and conventions with the sale of the rest of the magazine.

Production: Editing my contents page in indesign

 I am still in the process of editing my contents page in indesign. I have added two more images at the bottom of my page and I have included an image by a "fan" of the magazine. I think I am nearly finished editing this contents page but I have looked at a copy of NME and the contents page is still busier than mine is so I think that I am going to include some more featured articles.

Production: contents page in indesign

I have started editing my connects page in indesign. This time round I have found it easier to edit my page due to the experience editing my double page spread. However this time I have found it harder to create an appropriate layout as I would like my contents page to be very minimalist like the rest of my magazine but I need to adhere to the codes and conventions of music magazine contents pages (which are all very busy) , this means that I am adding more text and banners that I would like to. I have tried to keep the indie and electronic theme of my magazine with the images I have used. one is of some neon lights which ties it in with my double page spread and front cover and my feature artist. this reinforces the house style. i have also tried to create some branding for the magazine through the uses of an awards show hosted my the magazine company, similar to that of the NME awards.

Research: Examiners report

After reading the 2016 examiners report I have come to the following conclusions:

I will need to include elements such as a price, barcode, date and issue of the copy in order to make my front cover as realistic as possible. I am also going to keep some of the fonts the same over the the three pages. This will help to increase the sense of brand identity and link the three pages together.

On my contents page I am going to include a section of the page devoted to the regulars, for example "what I've been listening to" "recommendations" and "what have you got to say ?". I think these will help to reinforce the brand and they will also act as the magazines unique selling points. The "what have you got to say ?" section will also introduce a fan interaction with the magazine and will help to stress the friendly tone and vibe that the magazine has.

I am also going to use a mini masthead across each of the three pages, this will, once again, help to reinforce the brand identity.

Production: double page spread

I think that I am nearly finished the design and production of my double page spread. I have added a album cover for the artists new album as well as a small masthead and a pull quote. i am pleased with how the dps has turned out and I  think that it has come together well.

Production: editing my double page spread in indesign

I am in the process of editing my double page spread in indesign. I am pleased with the layout of my DPS but i need to add a glow and drop shadow behind the text which is on top of the yellow and red lights to make it stand to more. I also need to decide how to fill the gap in the third column, I may make an album cover.

Research: new techniques in indesign

Quickly combine images and type in InDesign this is a link to a web page and video which guides you through the steps of how to make text into an outline and then place and outline over the an image. I really like the effect this has and I would like to try it out on my contents page.

Research: audience questionnaire reflection

This is my evaluation of my information that my questionnaire provided.  I found this to be very helpful in affirming my genre of my artist and on advising me on which front cover I should use.

Research: focus group

This is my focus group. These are all people that would describe themselves as lover of music and spend roughly £20 a month. They all read at least one music magazine weekly including NME or CLASH. Through out my production process I will be questioning them on what they think of my creative choices and things that they would like to see in the magazine.

Planning: mood board

This is a mood board that I have created in order to help focus my thoughts on what I want my magazine to look like and the aesthetic that i would like it to have. I have to create a neon and LED coloured light look which is influenced by films such as Blade runner, pulp fiction, and trainspotting but has a modern edge.

Planning: Audience profile

I have created an audience profile in order to create a rounded image of my target audience and their interests and their purchases. The two people down the left side are what I would want my desired audience to look like. in this audience profile I have included albums that I think my audience would own and like such as Movement, Trainspotting soundtrack and the Velvet Underground & Nico. As well as this I have included a picture to the band the Horrors. I have also included a image of the film Blade Runner as I think that the aesthetic of the film would appeal to the reader. At the bottom left of the collage I have used a picture of a feminist march as I think that many of my readers would hold feminist values. I have also included brands such as Urban Outfitters and Lazy Oafs as I think that my target audience would shop at these brands. In the centre of the collage I have added a picture of DM boots as these are shoes that practically all of my target audience would own. Finally I have included an a image of ID magazine because I think that this would be a publication that my target audience would buy and has a similar aesthetic to my own magazine.

Production: starting my double page spread in indesign.

I have started creating my double page spread in Indesign which I am finding hard to manipulate correctly. I like the layout of of my DPS and the neon and electric vibe that my images have created. i think that this links very well with my artist and chosen genre of the music that she creates. the font that I am using links to the font hat i have on my front cover to introduce the artist and this begins to create a brand identity.

Planning: double page spread copy

Jamie Harper interview

After the underground success of her debut album submerged, 2016 has been a break through year for Jamie harper: a lightening charged glasto performance, the best hair since Robert smith and a killer second album.

Jamie sticks out like a sore thumb even in the quirky Swedish bar that I met her in. She’s sporting a t shirt which reads dump him, a blue velvet blazer and a garish orange skirt and all this is of course paired with an essential pair of doc martens. “I’ve never been one to try and fit in,” she tells me as she coils one of her untamable curls around her finger. “ I just don’t see the point of it, I might not appeal to every one but then why would I want to appeal to w***ers anyway?” Jamie might seem a bit pretentious but she’s got every right to be, with her electric second album Senses reaching the top spot in the album charts and a rumored Latitude headline spot it seems she’s no longer just the odd one out in the play ground. “I’ve put a lot more thought and effort in to this album, its crazy how real this all is now, its not just listening to the Human League messing about anymore. I still do a lot of that though.”

Jamie’s new album is titled senses which is a nod to the 80s synth sounds of new orders 1981 release. “New Order have always been one of my biggest influences. For me power corruption and lies and movement are some of the best albums of all time, a long with the seminal album queen is dead of course.” The sound of senses is an incredible fusion of shimmering synth and catchy yet political lyrics. “The lyrics on this album have taken a very different turn from submerged, I’ve just got a lot more to say. My eyes have been opened to a lot of social issues this last year and finally come to terms with my anxiety and I think that is reflected in the album.” The hottest tracks on the album include blinding with its electronic and mesmerizing beat and the infectiously catchy motion pictures. “Every album needs a song that sounds as though Taylor Swift could sing it and motion pictures is just that.”

“I have been nonstop this year I’ve loved every second of it, its mad to think that this time two years ago I was working in Tesco and messing around with a guitar and now I get stopped in Greggs whilst I’m buying a sausage roll. Its unbelievable.”

Jamie’s recommendations (small circular image next to each)

“I’m really loving blossoms at the minute, I think their debut album is brilliant and honey sweet is the perfect blend of catchy lyrics and 80s tones. I saw them supporting the stone roses last summer and they were fantastic.”

“One of my absolute favorite albums is Skying by the horrors. It truly is on another level. It’s everything that’s great about new wave but just with something extra. Still life is definitely in my top 5.”

“Also check out the Mighty Boosh it’s like a children’s program but for adults who don’t want to grow up. Its totally mental, you either get it or you don’t. Vince Noir is my style icon.”

I spent a lot of time on writing my copy in order to make it as realistic as possible and to represent my artist in the way that I wanted. I have used many intertextual references, included words from my lexicon of words and a friendly vibe similar to NME to do this.

Planning: back story and planning for double page spread copy

This is my planning for my copy and the way that I would like my artist to be represented in a similar way to the indie band Blossoms who have just released their debut album and their sound is reminiscent of the 80s but with a 2016 twist. they are seen to be very relatable and down to earth and I would like my artist to be like this too.

Production: Front cover

I have added conventional features to my cover including a barcode, price, website and date. These make the cover look much more realistic. I have decided to have only a few cover lines. This is because the look I would really like to achieve is much more minimalist with no cover lines at all, inspired by BEAT magazine, however I  understand that this would not be suitable for a magazine that is not free as the artists need to be endorsed and it would not follow the general codes and conventions of most music magazines. I have still kept the cover very minimal though with only one colour of font and few cover lines.  I am still, however, having problems with my text showing up, even with a drop shadow and stroke on the text, so i think i am going to have to find another way to address the problem.


Examples of BEAT magazine covers are below. Here is the link to the website.

Production: front cover production

These are two images that I am considering using for my front cover. I am struggling to pick a colour scheme that works well for either of these images due to their vibrant colored backgrounds. For this reason I think that I am only going to use a white font as this goes well with the background and it also stand out the best.

However as you see in the latter image I have had to add a black border around some of the white font as it will still not stand out as I would have liked it to on the coloured background.

Production: Editing my front cover image.

I have edited my chosen front cover image in photoshop. I used the blur tool to get rid of spots and to tidy up her eyebrows and I used the eyedropper tool to pick colours that will help highlight and define her jawline and collar bones.


This is my finished edited image for my front cover.

Planning: Contact sheet

These are the pictures that have taken for the production of music magazine. This time I used a better camera and adjusted the aperture so the colours of the photographs came out better. I also changed the composition of the photos and I much prefer the way they came out to my test shots.

Research: Uses and Gratifications theory Blumler and Katz

Uses and Gratifications theory: Blumler and Katz

Surveillance: to fulfill my surveillance needs I watch programs such as the news and follow social media feeds such as Buzzfeed and for music news I follow NME on twitter and I pick up a magazine once a week. All of this information is factual and gives me a greater understanding of the world we live in or a specific topic.

Personal identity: the media texts that I consume to confirm my personal identity and texts that identify with are

Personal relationships: I watch many programs where I feel that over time I have grown to know the characters, for example peep show, parks and recreation, skins and gossip girl.

Diversion: I consume a various media texts to provide me with escapism, for example I would watch the film the grand Budapest hotel by Wes Anderson to switch off from the real world as films directed by Wes Anderson often have an other worldly feel because the sets are so aesthetically pleasing and the attention to detail is incredible.

Planning: lexicon of words relating to my chosen genre

Planning: Preliminary shots before my actual photos

Theses are some photos that I took on my iPhone to test out my idea of using coloured light before I took my actual photos. I discovered that the red light and the darker blue light were too harsh but the yellow light worked effectively. I also reconsidered the composition of my photos and the position that the model would stand.

Research and Planning: my own music magazine front cover ideas

Research: the genre of Indie/alternative music

Research into the genre of Indie/alternative music

The indie/alternative genre covers a large amount of music and its fans pride themselves on being knowledgeable about music. This genre of music is also a genre where small and up and coming artists are often heavily focused on, as indie stands for the word independent which means that the bands and artists are less mainstream and have less coverage by the press. The music in this genre is not often mainstream and is liked by considerably smaller population of people than the genre of pop music, however the two genres are often closely linked even if the indie subculture do not like to admit it.  This subculture of people like to consider themselves different and individual but they can be identified by some items of clothing such as Dr. marten boots, vintage shirts and oversized denim jackets. The genre of music and subculture is linked closely to fashion, film and art.  

The name for the genre comes form the word independent that refers to how the music originally came from small independent music labels such as factory records rather than the larger more mainstream labels such as Sony. The name has somewhat lost its meaning today as the music industry has been engulfed by the three oligopolies, Sony, universal and warner bros.

The genre of indie music became prevalent in the 80s with band such as the smiths, sonic youth and the stone roses. The genre has expanded and has many different sounds today but one of its key features is that bands and artists of the past are never forgotten and are loved just the same by members of the subculture just the same, if not more, than many of todays bands. The genre of indie music today looks to bands such as belle and Sebastian, the arctic monkeys, slaves and tame impala.

Indie music has many different sounds and branches, for example it branches out into new wave and more electronic music such as new order and Gary Numan. It can also branch out into genres such as indie folk, punk, rock and prog rock.
some music magazines that would appeal to the indie subculture would include NME and Clash magazine as these magazine focus on new and up and coming artists and are aimed at a much younger audience. However in recent years NME has begun to focus on more mainstream, and even some R&B artists. 

This is a link to an article about the definition of the word indie and what it means to belong to the subculture: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/19/indie.overview/

Click here to watch a interview with the arctic monkeys.